Gemstone: A hard, colorful, glassy mineral. Ore: A rock that has enviornmental uses, that are useful. Smelting: A process- When the ore is separated by what is and is not useful. Alloy: A combination of two or more metallic materials.
Outline
The Uses of Minerals
Minerals are the source of many precious metals
Gemstones
Gemstones are shiny, rare, colorful stones
Once a gemtone is cut, it is a gem
Gems are used mostly for jewelery, decoration, mechanical parts, and grinding
Metals
Metals have a lot of uses
Metals began as minerals in the crust
Ores
A rock that contains metal/economically useful mineral inside it is an ore
Most metals do not occur in pure form (are usually in ores, waiting to be removed)
Mining
There are strip mies, open pit mines, and shaft mines
Geologists give maps to miners on where to mine
In strip mines they scrape away soil to reveal ores
in open pit, they dig giant deep pits to remove all ores.
Some open pits can get gigantic!
In shaft mines, they have a tunnel of networks that follow the ore veins
Mining is very bad for the environment
soil left over from mining can "rot" and land is also worn down
Laws have been made to protect environment from this
Smelting
After mining ore, metals must be removed using smelting
They melt the ores, separating the melted metal from oxygen
Table of Contents
4.3 Mineral Resources
Vocabulary
Gemstone: A hard, colorful, glassy mineral.
Ore: A rock that has enviornmental uses, that are useful.
Smelting: A process- When the ore is separated by what is and is not useful.
Alloy: A combination of two or more metallic materials.
Outline
The Uses of Minerals
- Minerals are the source of many precious metals
Gemstones- Gemstones are shiny, rare, colorful stones
- Once a gemtone is cut, it is a gem
- Gems are used mostly for jewelery, decoration, mechanical parts, and grinding
MetalsOres
Mining
Smelting
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